What was the conflict between Congress and the President related to Reconstructi

Question: What was the conflict between Congress and the President related to Reconstruction policy!?

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Andrew Johnson took the oath of office on April 15, 1865!. Two profound questions faced the nation!. First, under what conditions should the Southern rebel states be readmitted into the Union!? Second, what rights should the freedmen, or ex-slaves, have!?

Johnson began executing his plan for reconstructing the South!. Johnson pardoned all rebels except Confederate leaders!. He also restored all rebel property except for slaves!.
None of the new state constitutions allowed the black freedmen to vote!. President Johnson himself opposed the idea of ex-slaves voting !.
The Republicans had large majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate!. But they did not agree on any single reconstruction plan for the South!.

Still another group wanted to treat the former Confederate states as "conquered provinces" and pass laws providing equal rights for the black man!. The members of this group were called the Radical Republicans or just Radicals!. The man who symbolized the Radical viewpoint was a 73-year-old member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, Thaddeus "Old Thad" Stevens!.

During the summer of 1865 Thaddeus Stevens formulated his own ideas!. He believed that the rebel states had taken themselves out of the Union when they seceded; now they should be dealt with as U!.S!. territories!.!. Unable to get his reconstruction plans passed into law, Stevens worked to build a coalition of House members and senators to deal with all reconstruction matters!.Congress grew increasingly Radical after Johnson's veto of the Freedmen's Bureau and Civil Rights bills!. In June 1866, it passed a constitutional amendment, which when ratified by three-fourths of the states would be the 14th amendment!. This amendment declared that all persons born in the United States were automatically citizens!. This, of course, included ex-slaves!.

President Johnson, who had no role to play in amending the Constitution, sent a message to Congress condemning this amendment!. For good measure, he also vetoed a second Freedmen's Bureau Bill!. This time, however, Congress overrode him on the same day as his veto!.

Under Stevens' leadership, Congress passed a reconstruction law, described at the time as "written with a steel pen made out of a bayonet!." The law abolished all Southern state governments set up under Johnson's program!.President Johnson vetoed the law, saying that it would create an "absolute despotism" over the South!. But Congress voted to override his veto!.

Meanwhile, Congress began to pressure President Johnson himself!. The Radicals, now with the support of most other Republicans, passed the Tenure of Office Act!. This prohibited the president from firing any appointed government official, even his own cabinet members, without Senate approval!.

Early in 1868, the government crisis came to a climax!. President Johnson attempted to fire his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, without Senate approval!. Stanton had been working with the Radicals to undermine Johnson's reconstruction policies!. Firing Stanton violated the Tenure of Office Act

On February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Johnson!.
Johnson's trial began in the Senate on March 30!. Seven House members, including Thaddeus Stevens, served as the prosecutors of Johnson!.After the trial, which lasted over a month, the Senate failed by one vote to convict Johnson and remove him from the presidency!.

Johnson had only about nine months left in his term, his hopes for being elected president in November all but gone!. It was a victory for the presidency, but not for President Johnson!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Congress grew increasingly Radical after Andrew Johnson's veto of the Freedmen's Bureau and Civil Rights bills!. In June 1866, it passed a constitutional amendment, which when ratified by three-fourths of the states would be the 14th amendment!. This amendment declared that all persons born in the United States were automatically citizens!. This, of course, included ex-slaves!. In addition, the 14th Amendment prohibited states from depriving citizens of "equal protection of the laws!." Although it did not include the right to vote, it went a long way toward establishing equal rights for freedmen!.

President Johnson, who had no role to play in amending the Constitution, sent a message to Congress condemning this amendment!. For good measure, he also vetoed a second Freedmen's Bureau Bill!. This time, however, Congress overrode him on the same day as his veto!.

During the summer of 1866, it became clear that the freedmen needed the federal government's protection!. On July 30, a group of whites and blacks attempted to hold a Radical political convention in New Orleans!. A mob of ex-Confederate soldiers attacked the convention members!. The New Orleans police not only failed to protect them, but actually joined in the attack!. Nearly 40 convention members, mostly black men, were killed!. News reports of the "New Orleans massacre" shocked Northerners and proved to many that President Johnson's reconstruction program was too lenient!.

After these events, Northern states supported the 14th Amendment, but no Southern state ratified it!. It failed to receive the required three-fourths approval!. This enraged Radicals in Congress, and most Northerners seemed ready for harsher action against the former Confederate states!. "King Andy" found himself increasingly under attack by a hostile Congress and public!.

Under Stevens' leadership, Congress passed a reconstruction law, described at the time as "written with a steel pen made out of a bayonet!." The law abolished all Southern state governments set up under Johnson's program!. In their place, Congress created five military districts, each commanded by an army officer!. The army commanders were authorized to rule by martial law, using federal troops and military courts to maintain order!. President Johnson vetoed the law, saying that it would create an "absolute despotism" over the South!. But Congress voted to override his veto!.

In a series of follow-up laws, Congress required each rebel state to hold a new constitutional convention made up of both white and black delegates!. Any new constitutions coming out of these conventions had to include the right to vote for all black adult males!. In addition, Congress directed the Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment before they could apply for readmission to the Union!. Johnson vetoed every one of the follow-up laws!. No matter!. Congress overrode all his vetoes!.

Meanwhile, Congress began to pressure President Johnson himself!. The Radicals, now with the support of most other Republicans, passed the Tenure of Office Act!. This prohibited the president from firing any appointed government official, even his own cabinet members, without Senate approval!.

Johnson viewed this act as violating the Constitution's separation of powers!. The U!.S!. government is separated into three branches: the Congress, the Presidency, and the Judiciary!. The writers of the Constitution adopted this separation of powers to prevent one person or one part of the government from becoming too strong and possibly dictatorial!. Johnson vetoed the Tenure in Office Act as an unconstitutional invasion of his executive power!. But Congress again overturned his veto!.
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